Summary The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia mission is to enforce the criminal laws of the United States and the District of Columbia, represent the interests of the United States in civil litigation, and respond to the public safety needs of the community by leading an effective, well-coordinated law enforcement effort that contributes to the overall goal of improving the quality of life in the District of Columbia. Responsibilities This Paralegal Specialist provides paralegal support to three or more AUSAs responsible for representing the United States in a large class of cases brought under the employment discrimination laws, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) the Federal Tort Claims Act, the False Claims Act, and other @types of civil defensive or affirmative cases. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Paralegal Specialist support in the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia, located in Washington, District of Columbia, focusing in the areas of paralegal support; legal research; litigation case support. Typical work assignments will include: Providing direct paralegal support to attorneys in support of the mission and function of the Civil Division. Communicating regularly with attorneys, office staff, client agencies and witnesses to request documentation, information and keeping them up-dated on case status. Maintaining a calendar of required filings and due dates from case load of active cases to ensure that legal pleadings, forms, reports, correspondence, and other documents are prepared and submitted with established deadlines. Preparing and maintaining case files including documents, evidence, exhibits, witness lists and jury instructions. Searching, analyzing and summarizing data, making conclusions, and recommending appropriate action in consultation with the responsible AUSA. Performing legal research in the areas of employment discrimination law, information and privacy law, and tort law. Providing general assistance to assigned attorneys and to the overall operations of the Division. Assisting assigned attorneys as requested with general matters on, including maintaining case files on the Division's Case Files system consistent with Division policies; updating CaseView to ensure deadlines reflected in the system are current, accurate and complete; identifying cases to be closed; and preparing paperwork necessary for the opening and closing cases. Contributing to Division-wide objectives and tasks, including appropriately and accurately logging service in the Division's electronic service system (the Electronic Green Book); correctly scanning service packages (including ensuring that all pages are scanned and scans are saved on electronic resources consistent with Division policies); forwarding emergency matters to Division management and proving general support (copying, mailing, etc.) as directed. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying: To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below: Performing legal research to assist with composing legal documents (i.e., pleadings, memoranda of law, dispositive motions and briefs, subpoenas, complaints, various motions, and responses to defense motions); Providing legal assistance, technical support or case management in preparing, organizing and indexing documents, evidence, exhibits and/or witnesses for and during court proceedings; Providing general support (i.e., copying, mailing, scheduling due dates for filings and hearings); Coordinating with attorneys and counsel to provide information and assistance concerning status or relevant procedural issues. OR Successful completion of one of the following @types of education in a related field, such as (list fields): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or possession of a LL.M degree. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position. (MUST SUBMIT YOUR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS.) OR A combination of the above-described graduate education and specialized experience. To combine education and experience, determine the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level. Then determine the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. Finally, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Note that only graduate education in excess of 2 years can be used in the combination. (MUST SUBMIT YOUR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS.) IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here. Education If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see https://www.ed.gov/ Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.In addition, when reviewing applicant's transcripts, assumptions will not be made. Applicants MUST state which coursework is relevant. Additional Information Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Justice requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a clearance as a condition of placement in this High Risk (HR) position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility, click here. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about CTAP eligibility, click here. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
